A Tongan pilot who worked for a local airline will appear before the Court in June for sentencing after he pleaded guilty to sexual conduct with a girl under 16-years-old.
Mikaele Halafihi, 26 of Vailele and New Zealand appeared before the Supreme Court this month for hearing to charges of rape and two counts of sexual conduct.
At the start of the trial Halafihi vacated his not guilty plea and entered a guilty plea to two counts of sexual conduct after the rape charge was dropped.
Lawyer Alex Sua represented the defendant, who previously worked at Talofa Airways. He was released on bail pending his sentence on 6 June.
The alleged offence took place on 21 September 2024 at Vailele, with the complainant being a 15-year-old from New Zealand and Tonga.
The court has already imposed a Departure Prohibition Order on the defendant until the conclusion of his case.
Source: Samoa Observer
